In a Dental Economics article, Dr. Ryan Dulde asks and explores the question: What happens when tech-savvy, hyperconnected narcissists take over the dental profession?

“As more baby boomers plan retirement, millennials are arriving in dental practices as associates or partners,” according to Dr. Dulde, who co-founded the National Leadership Conference for the American Student Dental Association. “Generations clash when millennial dentists must share their work environments with hiring/selling dentists who are often of the baby boomer generation and an office staff that can span across two or even three different generations.”

Dr. Dulde also explored the stereotyping of millenials, their work-life integration, their use of technology and their optimism.

“Make no mistake: Millennials are anything but lazy,” Dr. Dulde said. “We’re a creative, entrepreneurial, high-achieving generation ready to work hard for our ambitious goals and a sense of purpose. It may not be a perfectly smooth transition, but dentistry can look forward to strong leadership from the next generation.”

Head Start began as a summer program in 1965 and serves the nation’s most vulnerable children. It focuses on school readiness with inclusion of medical, dental, nutrition and mental health.

Action for Dental Health has created a basic 10-step process to launching your own Head Start program in your dental office.

In essence, the 10 steps are:

Step 1: Call the local Community Action Agency and speak with the director about oral exam federal compliance opportunities.

Step 2: Discuss with local officials (county commissioners) what percentage of their Head Start children have received dental exams and what more can be done.

Step 3: Arrange appropriate follow-up care for those children identified with dental needs.

Step 4: Present in-services on early childhood decay to local pediatricians/family medicine staff and promote the need for caries risk assessment, anticipatory guidance and referrals to establish a dental home.

Step 5: Become a registered state dental Medicaid provider.

Step 6: Meet with community leaders from United Way, local foundations or faith-based communities to discuss health needs/support for young children to access dental exams.

Step 7: Discuss opportunities to partner with local business community in holding events aimed at Head Start children receiving dental screening services and oral health education.

Step 10: Visit the Women, Infant, Children Department (WIC) in the local health department or county offices and determine need for children under age 5 to have dental exams.

To read more on the 10 steps to starting a Head Start program in your office, click here. For more information, contact Dr. Jane Gover, director of the ADA Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations at groverj@ada.org. For more information on Action for Dental Health, visit ADA.org/action.

A new research brief published by the ADA Health Policy Institute show the number of dentists in the U.S. will continue to grow over the next generation.

Under the most likely scenarios, the ADA’s model predicts that dental school graduations will exceed dentist retirements. The net increase of practicing dentists will exceed the corresponding growth of the U.S. population.

The new report, available at ADA.org/researchbriefs, shows the number of dentists practicing per 100,000 people today has climbed more than 4 percent from 2003 to 2013 and is projected to climb 1.5 percent from 2013 to 2018 and 2.6 percent by 2033.

Another HPI analysis found that the percentage of the U.S. population reporting that they were unable to access needed dental care declined between 2003 and 2012. These declines occurred across all age groups.

Additional ADA research suggests that the most effective policy changes to address access to dental care would focus on more prominent barriers to care such as cost, geography and education. Barriers related to the availability of a dentist were reported much less often by a very small percentage of the population and declined in all areas.

New research from HPI includes:

• “Dental Care Utilization Rate Highest Ever Among Children, Continues to Decline Among Working-Age Adults.” HPI found that from 2011 to 2012, dental care utilization increased among children and decreased among working-age adults.

• “Dental Benefits Expanded for Children, Young Adults in 2012.” More children had dental benefits in 2012 than in the previous year, representing a continuation of more than a decade-long trend. The percentage of children without dental benefits is at its lowest rate since the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, the source of HPI’s data for this brief, began tracking dental insurance coverage in 1999.

• “Fewer Americans Forgoing Dental Care Due to Cost.” The percentage of the population reporting cost as a barrier to receiving necessary dental care fell in 2013. This is the third year of this decline, reversing the increase that occurred from 2000 to 2010. Despite improvements in affordability over the last few years, cost still remains the most critical barrier to obtaining needed dental care.

• “Supply of Dentists in the United States is Likely to Grow.” Under what HPI considers the most probable scenario, the per capita supply of dentists in the United States is projected to increase through 2033.

• “Most Important Barriers to Dental Care are Financial, Not Supply Related.” Between 2004 and 2012, fewer Americans reported needing dental care but not getting it. In both periods, among a group of 11 types of barriers to receiving needed dental care, financial barriers were mentioned most often. The level of financial barriers was highest among low-income, nonelderly adults.

According to the New York Times, young college graduates aren’t only looking to cities such as New York, Washington and San Francisco to start their careers.

Based on a report published by think tank City Observatory, the number of college-educated people age 25 to 34 are moving within three miles of city centers. And metropolitans getting the biggest share of young people with a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education include Houston, Nashville, Denver, Austin and Portland, Oregon.

Denver

For example, Denver, which has seen a 47 percent increase in the number of college graduates age 25 to 34 from 2000 to 2012, is attracting the young and educated because of it’s a booming industries, sunshine, mountains and the perception of cultural cool such as microbreweries and bike-sharing, according to the article.

In addition, the article said, about 25 percent more young college graduates live in major metropolitan areas today than in 2000, which is double the percentage increase in cities’ total population. All the 51 biggest metros except Detroit have gained young talent, either from net migration to the cities or from residents graduating from college, according to the report.

“There is a very strong track record of places that attract talent becoming places of long-term success,” Edward Glaeser, an economist at Harvard and author of “Triumph of the City” told the New York Times. “The most successful economic development policy is to attract and retain smart people and then get out of their way.”

As new dentists, what factors came into your decision on where to live and work after dental school?

It’s been an eventful 2014 for New Dentist Now as it continues to feature resources for new dentists and dental students, along with news and insight on the dental profession and beyond.

Just in case you missed them, here’s a look back to some of our favorite and most popular blog posts of the year.

In Zambia, new dentist volunteers to treat patients in a truck: Since graduating from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2010, Dr. Rachel Hymes has volunteered her dentistry skills for a mission trip every year. This year, she went to Zambia treating 40 patients a day inside a trailer on the back of a truck.

Dr. Rachel Hymes poses with a group of children from Kafue, Zambia where she treated residents through International Caring Hands.

Educating patients using evidence-based dentistry: Dr. Partha Mukherji is a general dentist practicing in Ft. Worth, Texas, and a supporter of Evidence-Based dentistry. He spoke with New Dentist Now about strategies dentists can use when patients are misinformed about science.

Dentistry at a Crossroads: ADA chief economist Marko Vujicic, Ph.D., discussed the future dental care system and the key changes on the horizon due to the Affordable Care Act, increased consumerism, shifts in demand for dental care and other factors.

Starting a new dental practice — Checklist: If you’re opening a new dental practice, there are many things to consider, including licenses, local requirements, supplies, insurance, OSHA, etc. Here’s a checklist to help you stay focused on all these details.

Bringing together students from all 65 U.S. dental schools, the American Student Dental Association will host its 2015 annual session Feb. 18-21, 2015, in Boston.

Registration deadline is Jan. 16 to guarantee hotel reservations at the Westin Boston Waterfront. Some fees may apply for late registrations.

Highlights at the event include the business meeting of the House of Delegates, elections of ASDA national leaders, the Dental Expo, prominent speakers within dentistry addressing hot topics, and awards recognizing the achievements of ASDA chapters and members. ADA leadership and staff will also be participating in the annual session. The meeting concludes with a celebratory gala.

For more information and to register, visit asdanet.org/annualsession.

Dental school is only the tip of the iceberg. The more I learned, the more I realized what I didn’t know. A general practice residency (GPR) was the next logical step.

Dr. Carolyn Norton

I was looking for a small residency program with sufficient fixed prostho and endo experience. What I got was exactly that plus significant oral surgery experience, my own full time assistant, and a wealth of mentors who also teach for some of the best continuing education institutes in the country. Being one of two residents at the NorthShore University Hospital in Evanston, Illinois, my dental education is specific to my interests and my patients’ needs. My attendings ask me what I want to learn, and that’s what we pursue. The attendings are truly there because they love to teach and want to help me succeed as a general dentist.

I also wanted a program where I had responsibility. I wanted to deal with emergencies and difficult cases. In dental school, all difficult cases were sent to the graduate specialty clinics, or an oral surgery resident would swoop down and save the day. I needed to learn how to take care of business myself. I alternate the call schedule every seven days with my co-resident, covering four hospitals within the NorthShore University System. Every time I get paged and go in for an emergency, I see something I have never seen before and learn something valuable. Being on call is never time wasted. It is exactly what I needed.

If you’re interested in a GPR, it’s important to know what you want out of the experience. Go visit the program and talk to previous residents. You can find more information about my GPR program here. All programs are very different, so you need to do your research.

I still find plenty of time for the gym, spending time with loved ones and enjoying Chicago. I am more than happy with my GPR experience and already feel confident about entering private practice. And to think, I still have six months of learning left.

Dr. Carolyn Norton is a New Dentist Now guest blogger and a 2014 graduate of the University of Florida College of Dentistry. She is half way through a 12-month general practice residency at the North Shore University Hospital in Evanston, Ill., affiliated with the University of Chicago. Dr. Norton was a contributing editor for the American Student Dental Association from 2012-14.

Memphis, Tennessee’s daily newspaper The Daily News featured this week an article on Dr. Edward Mack, a new dentist practicing in East Memphis, and his work as a brigade dentist in the U.S. Army with the 82nd Airborne Division in Baghdad.

According to the story, Dr. Mack, an endodontist, spent seven months in Iraq, treating close to 1,000 of the division’s 3,500 soldiers.

“Some of it was extraction and some of it was routine,” Mack told The Daily News of the dental work. “Some of it was palliative. We were in combat situations. I had to work out of a backpack.”

Dr. Mack received the Combat Medical Badge as well as the Army Commendation Medal, according to the article. He is a member of the ADA, the Tennessee Dental Association and the Memphis Dental Society.

Dentists nationwide can help their young patients “defeat monster mouth” by participating in the ADA’s 2015 National Children’s Dental Health Month.

For the 66th year, the NCDHM campaign brings thousands of dedicated dental professionals, health care providers and others together to promote the benefits of good oral health to children, adults, caregivers and teachers.

This year’s two-sided poster features the NCDHM campaign slogan “Defeat Monster Mouth.” The free posters are available in English and Spanish thanks to a grant from the ADA Foundation.

Information regarding how to order or download posters can be found at ADA.org/ncdhm.

Also available on the website is the NCDHM Program Planning Guide, which provides program coordinators, dental societies, teachers and parents with resources to promote the benefits of good oral health to children.

The guide includes easy-to-do activities, program planning timetable tips, a sample NCDHM proclamation and more. Other free campaign materials, including publicity resources and activity sheets — many in both English and Spanish — can also be downloaded.

Here are three rules to follow to make your direct mail campaign a success, according to PBHS, the website and marketing services provider endorsed by ADA Business Resources:

Select your mailing list: Define your audience by selecting demographic constraints that are applicable to your target market. For example, age of targeted patients, household revenue and geography. Legally purchase your list from a reputable source. The more careful you are in analyzing your direct mail lists, the better your chance for success.

Deliver a clear message: A direct mail campaign should visually engage your audience and create an emotional response within a few seconds. State a clear message, incentivize your patient and promote a call to action which will drive the patient to contact you easily and quickly — offer, suggest, encourage and evoke a response.

Design is the key: Let a professional designer help you select images, fonts, colors and layouts that best reflect your practice brand in a consistent manner. Visually engaging campaigns create a feeling of trust and encourage the audience to take action. Support your campaign with online tools, such as analytics, call tracking and contact form to better understand your return on investment.

Recognizing that dental students and new dentists have different needs, the ADA offers a plethora of services, resources and benefits to help them succeed in their professional and personal lives. “As dentist, we are professionals, and the ADA is our professional organization,” said Dr. Chris Hasty, vice-chair of the ADA New Dentist Committee. “I see(…)

After graduating from dental school, did you move back in with your parents? According to a Wall Street Journal article, more young adults are living at home with their parents because of high student debt, along with joblessness and rising housing costs. A $10,000 increase in student debt per graduate in a U.S. state is(…)

The American Dental Association Institute for Diversity in Leadership is accepting applications through April 30 for its 2015-16 class. The Institute is designed to provide education and leadership skills to dentists who are members of racial, ethnic and/or gender groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in leadership roles within the profession and their communities. Sixteen(…)

As my patient pool grows, the dentistry doesn’t change much, but the person in my chair changes every day. I connect with most patients pretty well, but every now and then I am presented with a challenge. What I would call a difficult patient has nothing to do with the dentistry required in their mouth.(…)

The American Student Dental Association held its Annual Session in Boston Feb. 18-21. More than 600 students attended the meeting to help advance the profession of dentistry and be more “ASDA Awesome.” Highlights at the event include the business meeting of the House of Delegates, elections of ASDA national leaders, the Dental Expo, prominent speakers(…)

Celebrate and promote this year’s FDI World Oral Health Day on March 20 with your own customized poster — which can include your own smiling faces. The poster is available at the event’s website: worldoralhealthday.org/picture. Then share your customized campaign poster with colleagues and friends worldwide on Facebook or Twitter. The FDI created a kickoff(…)

In an effort to more aptly reflect all of its member states, the North East Regional Board introduced in January its new name: The Commission on Dental Competency Assessments. The CDCA’s name better recognizes the geographical diversity of its current member dental boards, according to its website cdcaexams.org. The nonprofit announced the name change at(…)